Acropolis (17 page)

"How do you all know so much about me?" I ask
after I rinse and spit.

Fiona's eyes widen.

"Are you kidding me? You're the
daughter of Enepsigos. Not only that, you are the
only
known half-mortal child of
Enepsigos. Everyone knows about you. Especially Hell, and I would
know because I lived there until I was ten."

I'm dumbstruck.

"You lived in Hell?" I ask.

Fiona shrugs.

"I did until it got too dangerous for
hybrids. There's so many of us now that if one of us ends up dead
down there no one cares. My mother sent me to live with my father's
family here on Earth. Then two years ago, the Acropolis was opened,
and I have been here ever since."

I still can't wrap my head around the
fact that she has lived in Hell.
Hell
.

"Oh," I say finally. "Who is your
mother?"

I'm finding it a little intimidating that
everyone seems to know exactly who my Demon parent is and what kind
of abilities I should have. Everyone but me.

Fiona smiles.

"Ephippas. I like fire and electricity, and I
am hell on trees. I can kill any kind of vegetation in less than
two seconds," she says proudly.

I honestly don't find the ability appealing,
but I feign being impressed. My eyes move back to my reflection,
and I touch my hair.

"Can you show me how to heal the wounds," I
ask timidly.

The whole room goes quiet. I have a habit of
silencing crowds. The only sound is the hiss of running water.

"You want me to
help
you?" Fiona finally asks, her words
sharp.

I look around cautiously, taking in the
narrowed gazes and gaping mouths.

"Ummm . . . I was hoping you would?"

The words were meant to be a statement of
fact, but it comes out sounding like a question. Fiona clears her
throat.

"We don't help each other here," she says
firmly.

Again, I'm dumbstruck.

"Why?" I ask, genuinely curious.

Fiona looks at the other Demons. And then I
feel it . . . fear. They fear each other. They fear their own
greed. Fiona turns away suddenly, and then hands me a ponytail
holder.

"You'll need this," she says before packing
up her kit and walking away.

Conor is wrong. Demons are not without fear,
but their fear is deeper. They fear power as much as they crave it.
There is something wrong with this school. Conor and I have showed
up at a bad time. Only a few days in, and I realize the school
Conor believes in, the one he believes this school to be, isn't
that school at all.

Chapter 25

Conor

Emma exits the bathroom with her hair braided
and an expression that oozes contemplation. Lyre, Fiona, Hesther,
and Gwenyth exit behind her, their faces full of bemusement. I
avoid their gazes.

"Make any friends?" I ask as I push away from
the wall.

Will whistles next to me. He's noticed the
she-Demons' expressions too. Emma's face reddens.

"I'm not sure I did."

"You always have me!" a young female voice
suddenly chirps, and I groan.

Will chuckles.

"Might should have stayed in your room today,
Deidra," Will says on a laugh.

Deidra's eyes widen as her gaze meets
mine.

"Oh."

"Yeah . . . oh," I say before waving at the
door. "But luckily for you, Little Imp, I've got bigger
issues."

My statement catches Emma's attention.

"What kind of issues?" she asks.

Will nods at Deidra, and I take Emma by the
arm, leading her from the residence hall to the grounds of the
estate. Emma will train alone this morning, her focus on attacking
and defending against true Demons. She has been sought out twice by
Satan's army, in Atlanta and at my home. She needs some sort of
fighting knowledge.

"You're training with Luther today," I say as
I guide her toward a forest behind the chateau.

There is a small one room cabin among the
trees used to test students. It is also used to test gargoyles
training to be Guardians. Beyond the woods is another home, not as
large as the Acropolis but equally impressive that houses gargoyle
trainees. It isn't considered a school. It's too unstructured for
that. It is only used to train escorts who are being promoted.
Everything else is done in the field. We are all about on the job
training.

"I think I told you last night that you will
be facing a full-blooded Demon today," I say. Emma nods. "But I
wasn't expecting the Demon that's been selected."

Emma quits walking.

"You feel reluctant and . . . and anxious
maybe?"

I turn to look at her.

"Seriously, Em, this whole reading my
emotions thing is unnerving."

Her face flushes.

"What am I supposed to face?" she asks.

I stare into the woods, my body on full
alert.

"It's called a drex. It's not the Demon's
official name. It's one we gargoyles have created for simplicity.
It looks like a smaller version of a dragon and a tyrannosaurus
rex. You don't want to be caught by it."

Emma swallows hard.

"I'm afraid to ask why," she says slowly.

There is no time to prepare her for the
drex's brutality.

"They eat flesh."

Emma's face drains of blood, and her lips
flatten. But as scared as her expression is, her eyes redden, and I
am suddenly glad that she is who she is. Fear makes her stronger.
It heightens her senses, her emotions.

"Really, Reinhardt, it's not as scary as it
sounds," Luther Craig's voice says from behind me, and I cringe.
The man has a bad habit of showing up when I really don't want him
around. Oh, wait! That's all the time.

"No, it's scarier. No point in beating around
the bush."

I keep my eyes on Emma even as I
respond to the Demon's words. Her hands are visibly shaking. I pull
a pack of spearmint gum out of my blue jean pocket, pop a piece in
my mouth, and offer her a piece. She takes it. Chewing gum has
always helped keep me focused. Her counting method isn't going to
help her here. Neither will the gum, but it makes
me
feel better.

"We are in a controlled environment," Luther
says as he gestures at the trees around us. "Utterly safe."

Even I recognize the sarcasm in his
voice. I can tell by the way Emma narrows her eyes that she
can
feel
it.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asks.

One of the things I like most about Emma is
that she gets to the point. If the situation she is in isn't one
she can get out of, she finds out how to get out of it. She
listens, and she dissects. Sometimes, she holds back, but I think
even that is a way to discern exactly what her chances are. Luther
leans against a tree.

"Guess this means we're supposed to begin.
Let's talk about your power first, Emma. Do you even know how you
caught Lyre's magic yesterday?" Luther asks.

I stand to the side. This is not my area of
expertise. As much as it galls me to watch Emma trained by a
smartass Demon, I don't have much choice.

"I'm not really sure. I just saw a red haze,"
Emma answers.

Luther watches her closely.

"That was anger. Emotion, for you, can take
on physical property. You can mold emotions, transform it into
anything you desire. But not only can you mold your own emotions,
you can mold emotions projected at you or even emotions you feel
from others. Yesterday, instinct preserved you. Today, I want you
to try and use it on your own."

Luther steps forward, placing his hand on her
forehead. Watching him touch her has an unusual affect on me. I
don't want the sick feeling in my stomach to be anything green-eyed
and covetous, but I fear it is. Luther moves closer. There is
little space between them now. The sick feeling grows.

"What's the strongest emotion you feel right
now?" Luther asks.

Emma's forehead creases.

"Jealousy," she says softly.

Luther gives me a knowing look and grins. It
makes my blood boil.

"No . . . it's anger," Emma corrects.

Luther's grin widens.

"Now draw on it. Emotions can have a very
tangible feel. If it feels like you can touch it, it's because you
can."

Emma steps back, breaking contact with the
Demon.

"No."

Luther stares at her. We both do.

"Excuse me," Luther says.

He doesn't like being disobeyed. Emma's
cheeks color. Her skin is too fair. Her face is a doorway to every
feeling she feels, but she doesn't try and hide it.

"Every time I draw on anger or fear something
bad happens," she says.

Luther shrugs, his brows raised. It's obvious
he doesn't understand the problem.

"Anger makes you strong, Emma. It's okay to
use that. Especially in times of need."

Emma continues to shake her head.

"I won't do it."

Luther is angry now. It's easy to see how
dangerous he is. I step between them.

"They will be releasing the Demon any moment
to see if you can control it, and you refuse to listen to me?"
Luther asks.

Emma stands her ground. If I ever thought her
unattractive or plain, I am suddenly rethinking my opinion.

"I won't do it."

She doesn't sound whiny or petulant. She just
sounds determined. I look at her, my eyes moving over her face. Her
jaw is tight.

"Emma . . ." I begin, but she shakes her
head.

"No. There's no talking me out of it."

Luther is agitated.

"You'd rather die, Hybrid, than use a power
that comes naturally to you. Demons are anger. We are fear, we are
hatred, we are jealousy, and we are greed. Embrace it."

Luther and I are both staring at her. I don't
think either of us understands why she refuses to use her powers
for different reasons. Luther, because she is a Demon who should
embrace her power. Me, because she should use whatever is at her
disposal to protect herself. Emma is a clock that doesn't go
clockwise. I want to know what makes her tick.

Emma's face is red, but she lifts her
shoulders, her resolve clear.

"You,
Hybrid
, say this as if our powers are what makes
us into the people we are. Maybe it's because I've never even known
I had powers until now, but I don't want what I am to be anger and
fear and hatred and jealousy and greed."

In that moment, I think I fall for her. Maybe
not in love. I haven't known her long, but I am definitely
interested. I am captivated. I am intrigued. Luther is pissed.

"And here I thought you were worth saving,"
he says.

"Because I refused to kill Deidra," Emma
argues.

Luther's eyes narrow.

"No, I thought you were worth saving because
you used your Demonic powers on the person who deserved it the
most, a person with power equal to yours. And you held back when
faced with someone who is lesser. You chose the fair fight over
destroying just for the need to destroy. That's called
control."

Emma is still, her expression thoughtful.

"But I didn't choose the fair fight. If
not for Conor, I would have destroyed her using her own power. Not
mine.
I
didn't feel anger. I
felt
her
anger."

Luther frowns.

"That is your power, Emma. Being able
to use the emotions around you
is
a power. A strong one."

"Then it's one I won't use," she says.

Luther snarls. To say he is angry is an
understatement. A ball of fire hits a tree behind Emma, and it goes
up in flame. I lift my hand, pulling on the moisture in the air and
use it to douse the blaze. I turn on Luther.

"If you want to make this a fight, make it
one. Here. Now. With me."

Luther's eyes are red, his jaw tight.

"Then let's see how well your gargoyle magic
fares against a Demon that craves flesh. I leave you both to
it."

With that, Luther walks away. One moment, he
is there. The next, he is gone.

"Am I wrong?" Emma asks me quietly. I turn to
her.

"Your morals are in the right place. I'm not
sure if it will help you though."

She sighs.

"I get angry. I'm only human. I-I just don't
want to use other people's emotions as a weapon. My own, I get. But
not others."

I stare at her.

"Sometimes I think the Inner Circle was
wrong," I say suddenly.

Emma's eyes widen.

"Wrong?"

I am closer to her now, and I know I was the
one to move.

"It's hard to believe your mother is a
Demon."

Emma grimaces.

"That's because my real mother isn't."

And that's when we hear the roar. Branches
break, the ground rumbles, and I know the best thing to do right
now is run.

Chapter 26

Emma

The moment Conor shoves me into the cabin and
slams the door shut, I know we are in trouble. I don't know
anything about drexes, but I don't want to be killed by one. I feel
fear from Conor, but I also feel determination. He exudes courage
I'm not sure I have. Conor's eyes are sharp, his face alert. He'll
die for me. If for no other reason, he will die because he is my
Guardian and that is what being a gargoyle is. What they lack in
prejudice, they make up for in duty and loyalty. I am drawn to
that.

"They would have us both die just to see what
I'm capable of?" I ask quietly.

Conor walks over to the side of the room and
leans against the wall, his eyes on the door.

"Training rule number one: powers are more
accessible during times of duress. The drex is not impossible to
overcome."